Brewers 3, Phillies 2

May 18, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - Ben Sheets had some pop on his fastball and Gabe Gross had it in his bat, helping Milwaukee salvage one win in Philadelphia.

Sheets struck out eight in 7 2-3 innings and Gross hit a pair of solo homers for the first multihomer game of his big league career, leading the Brewers over the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Thursday and stopping Milwaukee's four-game losing streak.

The NL Central-leading Brewers won 10 of 11 before going on the road and have lost five of seven since. They play an interleague series at home against Minnesota starting Friday.

Sheets (4-2), with a fastball in the mid-90s, combined with Francisco Cordero on a six-hitter and Gross added some surprising power from the No. 7 spot in the order, helping prevent the Phillies (20-21) from moving over .500 for the first time this season.

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Freddy Garcia (1-3) gave up two runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings, and the big hits that carried the Phillies back to .500 after a 4-11 start were silenced. Philadelphia lost for the second time in eight games.

Sheets gave up only three hits, including Pat Burrell's solo homer, through seven innings and five hits in all. He ran into trouble in the eighth and left after Shane Victorino's RBI single made it 3-2 and put runners on the corners for Cordero.

Cordero struck out Jimmy Rollins to end the threat and finished to remain perfect in 16 save chances.

Usually a pinch-hitter, Gross was making only his 10th start of the season and was hitting a paltry .167 with one homer. He had six hits all year and entered on an 0-for-14 skid.

Gross homered to tie the score in the third and put Milwaukee ahead 2-1 in the fifth with his second homer of the game.

Milwaukee had a chance to bust the game open later in the fifth with runners on second and third and one out. But Garcia, who's shown only glimpses of pitching like the two-time All-Star he was in Chicago, struck out Tony Gwynn Jr. and got Craig Counsell to fly out.

Garcia was chased with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth. Geoff Geary retired Tony Graffanino to keep it a one-run game.

Burrell hit a one-out solo home in the second to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.

Notes: Rollins made an outstanding leaping catch into the left field grass to rob Johnny Estrada of a hit in the second inning.